Announcement: Internet2 meeting: proposals due

Emerging trends in cyberinfrastructure development and new federal stimulus funding opportunities will share center stage when the Internet2 community gathers in Arlington, Virginia, for its annual Spring Member Meeting, 26-28 April 2010. The conference serves as a forum for sharing information and best practices that address issues critical to meeting the advanced networking needs of researchers, educators, industry, and students.

Proposals for track sessions and side meetings are due 29 January 2010; poster session submissions are not due until 31 March 2010. Based on trends within the research and education community, the meeting’s program committee hopes to focus this year’s conference on topic areas including: federal broadband policy, healthcare networks, identity management federations, cloud computing, real time collaboration tools, green technologies, and economic sustainability.

Meeting tracks will include: The Cyberinfrastructure and Advanced Applications in Action Track which intends to showcase how advanced networking has succeeded or failed in supporting specific research and education programs, why, and what can be learned from the outcomes.

The Middleware Track will focus on the on-going development, deployment, and policy work in the rapidly growing areas of identification, authentication, authorization and federated identity management.

The Security for Advanced Networks Track will focus on technical, policy, and management issues in network security—addressing immediate to longer range planning and research.

A Teaching and Learning/K20 Track will help attendees explore ways in which advanced network applications, services, tools and digital content can enhance teaching and learning and transform community anchor institutions like libraries, museums, science and cultural centers, with an emphasis on real-life case studies.

The Future: What's Next for the Net? Track invites sessions focused on new “disruptive” technologies. Presenters are encouraged to describe new technological breakthroughs and what they might mean for universities and the Internet2 community. Of special interest this year is the environmental impact of the telecommunications industry and how the Internet2 community can promote greener technology.

NEW THIS YEAR: In keeping with the annual meeting's emphasis on federal policy, a new Federal Agency Perspectives track will be featured. With 27 federal laboratories and agencies now active Internet2 members, the program committee is encouraging sessions on advanced research and education network projects, initiatives, and activities that involve these agencies and highlight all that can be accomplished through partnerships. Also of great interest are federal agency healthcare research initiatives.

Working Groups, BoFs and Side Meetings

One of the great benefits of member meetings is the opportunity to hold small working meetings in conjunction with the more formal program activities. These are perfect venues for working groups, birds-of-a-feather, or special interest groups. Requests must be submitted no later than 29 January 2010 to ensure adequate space availability, and will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Poster Sessions

Poster sessions are an important low-tech forum for the exchange of information and ideas about collaborations, projects, and works-in-progress. The posters convey stories through graphs, diagrams, pictures, data, and narrative text and are on display throughout the three-day meeting near the registration area, as well as in the hotel ballroom during the Welcome Reception. Participants informally discuss their presentations with meeting attendees during poster session staffed hours. All Internet2 members and International MOU partners are welcome to submit poster session proposals. Submissions will be accepted until 31 March 2010.

Sponsorship Opportunities

In addition to sessions and meetings, Internet2 invites members to sponsor the welcome or international receptions, meals and refreshment breaks. Sponsorship provides increased visibility within the Internet2 community and important opportunities for face-to-face dialogue with over 500 distinguished and knowledgeable community members from education, research, industry, and government. Sponsors are acknowledged through signage at the event site and are recognized in the published meeting program and on the meeting website.

Members must submit their proposals online at http://bit.ly/6JZeFV. The program committee will select approximately 50 proposals to fill track session slots. For more information, see http://bit.ly/7SqL2u.